"Let no freedom be allowed to novelty, because it is not fitting that any addition should be made to antiquity. Let not the clear faith and belief of our forefathers be fouled by any muddy admixture."
-- Pope Sixtus III

Friday, October 12, 2007

Joy is the gigantic secret of Christianity. The joy born of love is life-giving. It makes you happy. It is the by-product of our intimacy with the indwelling Trinity. Jesus leads us to this life.Remember His words at the Last Supper, "I have revealed these things to you so that my joy in you and your joy may be complete"(Jn 15:11).

The words of Jesus continually point us in the direction of joy. Fear is the enemy of joy Jesus said, "Fear is useless, what you need is trust".

To eliminate fear and needless guilt think of the good you have done, not the bad, the love you have received not the hate, the laughter you have shared not the tears. You can focus on God's unchanging Love and be grateful in all circumstances. It pleases God to see you enjoy your precious life. "Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete" (Jn 16:24).

Pursue a love-filled life, and joy will surely follow. Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It is my hope that this website brings you hours of quiet enjoyment, and it is my prayer that the Lord will truly be your strength and your joy.- Father John Catoir

"Christ came to bring joy; joy to children, joy to parents, joy to families and friends, joy to the sick and elderly, joy to all humanity. In a true sense Joy is the keynote message of Christianity, and the recurring motif of the Gospels. Go therefore and become messengers of joy."-Pope John Paul II

The former Red Sox pitcher is one of the founders of the Urban Baseball League, which bills itself as theRebirth of the Negro Leagues.No, that is not sick racist humor from sick and unfunny racists. Here is the new league's Mission Statement:

The Urban Baseball League, LLC was officially founded in 2007. The purpose andintent of the UBL is to inspire our youth, and promote business in the Blackcommunity.

It sounds like a good idea. They just need some marketing help. Can you imagine McDonald's or Sears sponsoring the new Negro League?

A Windsor woman, who slept through most of last weekend's NFL games, predicted the winners of all 14 games and claimed $548,532 - the largest Pro Picks Pools prize on a single sports lottery ticket in Ontario.

Krista Durham, who purchased the ticket at a convenience store on Ottawa Street, said she had never bet on the games before and wasn't particularly fond of the sport.

"I fell asleep while the games were playing," said Durham, a 35-year-old married auto detailer. "I have no idea which teams are good or bad.

"All I did was fill in the boxes. I remember thinking when I finished what a pretty pattern it made," Durham told lottery officials when she claimed her prize.

Oy vey!

The largest previous prize was another Pro Picks win of $448,242 in September.

After being asked what she planned to do with the prize, Durham said: "First point me to the nearest shoe store. I need to add to my collection."

A sister-in-law of Durham reached by The Star Wednesday night said the couple travelled to Toronto on Tuesday to claim their prize and remained there Wednesday night.

She said she would pass on a request for an interview but said the couple were not likely to want the publicity.

Dancers made about $70 an hour during their peak period of fertility, versus about $35 while menstruating and $50 in between. Researchers attributed the fluctuation in tips to the changes in body odor, waist-to-hip ratio and facial features that occur throughout a woman's cycle.

USA Today:Accusations against son 'shock' Oral RobertsOral Roberts was blind-sided by allegations that the university he founded was being exploited by his son and daughter-in-law, the aging televangelist said Tuesday in his first public comments on the case.

CNN: Oral Roberts' son denies he misspent school fundsOral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, his wife, Lindsay, and his father Oral Roberts are denying accusations that family members improperly spent school money for home renovations, vacations and clothes.

Louisville Courier-Journal: Faith & Works: Crisis at Oral Roberts U.The lawsuit alleging a sordid array of financial abuses at Oral Roberts University may involve a famous name in the religious scene, but it has wider ramifications than that.

It probably has something to do with the AmericaLast media. How this story slipped past the Thought Police is a mystery.The City of Our Lady of the Angels Times:Navy SEAL to receive Medal of Honor

A Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan will be awarded the Medal of Honor, the first such award for troops serving in Afghanistan and the first for a SEAL since the Vietnam War, the White House announced Thursday.

Lt. Michael P. Murphy, 29, who had SEAL training here and was assigned to a SEAL team in Hawaii, was killed in June 2005 during a mission in the Hindu Kush mountains to find a key Taliban leader.

Ambushed by insurgents, Murphy's four-man SEAL team engaged in a fierce firefight and was in danger of being overrun.

Although he was wounded, Murphy risked his life to save fellow SEALs and then maneuvered into an open position to send out an emergency call and to continue firing at the enemy. While making the call, he was hit again.

Only one of the SEALs on the team survived. Eight other SEALs and eight soldiers aboard a MH-47 Chinook helicopter sent to rescue Murphy's team also were killed when the craft was brought down by a rocket-propelled grenade.

May God have mercy on their brave souls.

The incident was the worst single-day loss of life for Navy Special Warfare personnel since World War II.

"Mike Murphy was a true warrior, a true leader. No one cared more about his men than he did," said a SEAL officer who asked to be identified only as Sean. Because their missions are secret, SEALs prefer to remain anonymous.

President Bush will present the Medal of Honor to Murphy's parents on Oct. 22 at the White House.

Only two other military personnel -- Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham and Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith -- have been awarded the nation's highest honor for bravery for actions undertaken since Bush sent troops into Afghanistan in 2001. Both of those awards were for bravery in Iraq and were posthumous.

The three other members of Murphy's team -- Matthew Axelson, 25, and Danny Dietz, 31, who were both killed, and Marcus Luttrell, 32 -- have each been awarded the Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor.

Luttrell is the author of "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10."

Murphy grew up on Long Island and graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1998 with degrees in political science and psychology. He was commissioned a Navy ensign in 1999 and graduated from SEAL training in Coronado in 2001.

His father, Daniel, an attorney and a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, said the assignment to Afghanistan was particularly important to his son. Murphy had friends in the New York police and fire departments and wore an NYFD patch on his uniform.

"He told me, 'We're going where the people who planned, plotted and recruited for 9/11 are,' " Daniel Murphy said.

Murphy's mother, Maureen, said the Medal of Honor meant that "now the world will know what his family has always known: how special he was."

At the SEAL base in Coronado, Murphy and his teammates were the subject of numerous conversations as word of the White House announcement circulated.

Though SEALs' grief lingers, they preferred to praise Murphy's steely determination and leadership.

"I'll remember him and those other guys every day of my life," said Cory, a SEAL petty officer first class. [Thanks toLaura Ingraham for the heads up.]

Golly...I would hate to see the bouts he had to win to become the champ.

The leading champion of gay rights in Congress ripped into what he called self-defeating ideological purists [Holy crap! - F.G.] on the left who are unhappy with the Democrat-led Congress over issues such as the Iraq war and dropping transgender people from a job discrimination bill.

Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat who is gay, is under ferocious attack from gay rights organizations for his decision to strip transgender people from a long-sought bill to protect gays, lesbians and bisexuals from job discrimination.

Clearly, ol' Barney likes his pansies to look like real men.

Clearly angered by unaccustomed criticism from his most ardent allies, Frank called a press conference Thursday - which coincided with National Coming Out Day - [Rats! Was there a parade? - F.G.] in which he accused gay rights organizations of an all-or-nothing approach that punishes their friends and damages the prospects for future gay-friendly legislation.

That is gaygislation to you, pal.

Straying well beyond the transgender issue, Frank struck back at a much broader belief among many liberal voters and constituencies that the new Democratic majority on Capitol Hill has failed to deliver as much as expected. He warned activists that they were in danger of a Terry Schiavo-style miscalculation, referring to Republicans who tried to cater to core voters by intervening two years ago in the case of a Florida woman on life support.

Nice analogy [sorry], you blood soaked pervert.

"This is a moment of truth as far as I'm concerned for [OXYMORON ALERT!] responsible liberals [OXYMORON ALERT!] in the Democratic Party," Frank said.

"The question is: Can we govern responsibly? And governing responsibly means working with everybody, listening to and exchanging views with the people who care passionately ... but then as you go forward with the goals, taking reality into account," Frank said. "People who then denounce those who take reality into account ... make it impossible for us to govern."

Taco Bell, a unit of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum Brands Inc., made its name promoting its menu to Americans as something straight out of Mexico.

It's a different dynamic south of the border.

There, the company is projecting a more "American" fast-food image by adding french fries -- some topped with cheese, cream, ground meat and tomatoes -- to the menu at its first store, which opened in late September in the northern city of Monterrey.

Other than the fries and sales of soft-serve ice cream, "our menu comes almost directly from the U.S. menu," said Yum Mexico Managing Director Steven Pepper.

Some of the names have been changed to protect the sacred: The hard-shelled items sold as "tacos" in the U.S. have been renamed "tacostadas." This made-up word is a play on "tostada," which for Mexicans is a hard, fried disk of cornmeal that is always served flat, with toppings.

Mexicans eagerly buy many American brands, but the taco holds a place of honor in the national cuisine. Mexicans eat them everywhere, anytime of day, buying them from basket-toting street vendors in the morning or slathering them in salsa at brightly lit taquerias to wrap up a night on the town.

Taco Bell has taken pains to say that it's not trying to masquerade as a Mexican tradition."One look alone is enough to tell that Taco Bell is not a 'taqueria,' " the company said in a half-page newspaper ad. "It is a new fast-food alternative that does not pretend to be Mexican food."

Sir Nicholas Winton, the British man whose foresight and determination helped save 669 mostly Jewish Czechoslovak children from the Holocaust, paid a visit to Prague this week, and was given a rapturous reception. Now 98, this was his fifth visit to the Czech capital since the extraordinary story of his heroic deeds first emerged in the late 1980s. That story was captured in the moving documentary The Power of Good, by director Matej Minac. He's been showing the film in schools around the country, and organised a special event at Prague's Congress Centre on Tuesday, attended by Sir Nicholas, several of the children he'd saved, and two and a half thousand schoolchildren.

Radio Prague spoke to Matej Minac after the showing:

"The students are motivated by what he did 68 years ago to do something for our world. In this there is hope, and we wanted to show it to Sir Nicholas and see his reaction. His reaction was tears, he was moved, and I think everybody in the house was moved - these few thousand children, all these important people etc. I hope that thanks to this we will be able through my new film to show that there is some hope for the future."

He was treated almost like a rock star in there. Do you think he likes the attention?

"You know, in life, nothing is black and white. He's always joking that I have totally ruined his life. I've made two films about him, they've been shown around the world, and now he has become something of a celebrity. But on the other hand he understands that even by showing what he did he can help the world, and he likes to help. You know, that's his passion. So I think he appreciates it."

And you have some fairly big plans for his story and for him - I thought the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was a joke at first, but you're serious.

"It started as a joke. It came from one little school in Kunzak, Central Bohemia, where an eleven-year-old boy asked after the film why Mr Winton was not given a Nobel Peace Prize, and that we were a little bit to blame that the world didn't show him enough respect. We said to this school - look, children everyone can do something, for example you can start a petition for awarding Mr Winton a Nobel Peace Prize. They thought it was a good idea, and they started it, and through them 35,000 signatures of students and teachers all around Bohemia were collected. Our present generation is the best generation ever. They are so knowledgeable. They know so many things."

Children in Bohemia are smarter than you and me.

This is a naïve question but do you think that armed with that knowledge, they can help prevent the kind of things that happened 70 years ago happening again in the future?

"In the Talmud there is a Jewish saying - he who saves one life saves the world. Even if this initiative could change one life, positively, it's worth this endeavour. We can't hope that, you know, from now on everything will be fine! But at least we have tried."

Police in Poland have evicted a band of rebellious ex-nuns from a convent they had occupied illegally since rejecting a Vatican order in 2005 to replace their mother superior, who reportedly claimed to have religious visions.

A locksmith opened the gate to the compound, and police then pushed their way in and arrested the mother superior as well as a former Franciscan friar who had locked himself in with the nuns.

Hours later, after mild resistance and insults from the ex-nuns and the intervention of psychologists, about 65 defeated ex-nuns, escorted by policewomen, walked out calmly in their black habits, some carrying guitars, others tambourines or small drums, and boarded buses

A former pizzeria manager who abducted and sexually abused two boys pleaded guilty Tuesday to dozens of counts expected to lead to more than 20 life sentences, and gave weeping family members years of brutal details.

Michael Devlin pleaded guilty in Washington County to kidnapping, sexually assaulting and attempting to murder Shawn Hornbeck in 2002.

Later Tuesday in St. Louis County Circuit Court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of kidnapping and 69 counts of forcible sodomy in attacks on William "Ben" Ownby, abducted last year, and Shawn, held captive for more than four years.

He pleaded guilty to related counts in Franklin County on Monday, and was expected in federal court by Wednesday.

In the Washington County hearing, Devlin, 41, stood just feet away from Shawn's weeping parents as he admitted in graphic detail how he abducted Shawn in 2002. He described the point at which the boy apparently turned from being an abduction victim to a captive forced to stay alive by following Devlin's horrific orders.

After Shawn was abducted at gunpoint while riding his bike in rural Washington County, Devlin took the then-11-year-old to his apartment in suburban St. Louis where he repeatedly sexually assaulted the boy. Days later, Devlin took Shawn back to rural Washington County in his pickup truck, apparently intent on killing him.

He said he pulled Shawn from his truck and began to strangle him. Shawn resisted.

"I attempted to kill (Shawn) and he talked me out of it," Devlin said.

Devlin stopped the choking, but then sexually assaulted the boy again. Prosecutors said it was at that point that Shawn told Devlin he would do whatever was asked of him in order to stay alive.

"This boy made this contract, this deal with the devil, only to survive," Washington County prosecutor John Rupp said.

That is one choice. Fighting to the death is another. I would not make Shawn's choice, but I cannot blame him for making it.Who knows what I would have done at age 11?

Devlin kidnapped Ben in January, and police who found Ben four days after he was taken were shocked to discover a 15-year-old Shawn in Devlin's apartment.

Devlin pleaded guilty Monday to one charge of child kidnapping and one charge of armed criminal action in Ben's abduction.

He received a life sentence in Franklin County and three life terms in prison plus 60 years in Washington County. In St. Louis County, the judge said he would sentence Devlin to 18 consecutive life sentences.

Prosecutors said the combined pleas mean Devlin will not be eligible for parole until he is more than 100 years old.

Rupp said he was satisfied with the sentences Devlin received.

"You heard it from his own mouth. You've heard what kind of a monster he is," Rupp said after the hearing.

Devlin's attorneys have said he accepted a plea deal after reviewing the massive body of evidence collected by state and federal authorities. The boys' families said they were relieved because the pleas will spare the teens from testifying and reliving the ordeal.

"Nothing good could have come from a trial," said defense attorney Michael Kielty. "The evidence ... is just absolutely overwhelming."

While it is The Associated Press' policy not to identify suspected victims of sexual abuse in most cases, the story of Shawn and Ben has been widely publicized and their names are well known.

A couple accused of kidnapping their daughter to force her to have an abortion last year have reached a plea agreement in which they will serve no time behind bars, the father's lawyer said Wednesday. Nicholas and Lola Kampf have agreed to plead guilty Friday to misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges to resolve the case...

The wheels of Mammon do not grind at all for those trying to kill babies...

Turkey's leaders have condemned a non-binding resolution passed on Wednesday (10 October) by a US congress committee recognising the 1915-17 Armenian killings by Ottoman Turks as genocide. "This unacceptable decision of the committee, like similar ones in the past, is not regarded by the Turkish people as valid or of any value," Turkish president Abdullah Gul said in reaction to the vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee by 27 votes to 21.According to Anatolian news agency, he suggested that some US politicians had "closed their ears to calls to be reasonable and once again sought to sacrifice big problems for small domestic political games."

Today is the Feast ofSaint Maximilian of Lorch, bishop and martyr. Martyred bishop of Lorch. He was born at Cilli, modem Steiermark, in Styria, Austria, and disposed of his wealth to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Pope Sixtus II sent him to Lorch, near Passau, where he served two decades as a missionary bishop. He was then beheaded by command of the Roman Prefect Numerian at the gate of Cilli for refusing to sacrifice to the gods. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."

Divine Praises

Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name.Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.Blessed be the Name of Jesus.Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.Blessed be His most Precious Blood.Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.Blessed be her glorious Assumption.Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed SacramentBe praised, adored and lovedWith grateful affection at every momentIn all the tabernacles of the worldEven to the end of time. Amen.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

When Halsey and Bonnie Frost agreed to go public with how the State Children's Health Insurance Program helped them after a car crash left two of their children comatose, the Baltimore couple expected to hear from critics of government-funded health care.

STOP RIGHT THERE! Read that sentence again, kiddies, and behold left-fascism at its finest. You see, the Frost family got all the coverage they needed from the program at the funding levels THE EVIL BUSH wants to maintain. The Democrasses want to increase spending to cover all Americans earning 300% of the poverty level. That is middle class welfare. That is vote buying.Nobody is trying to take anything from the Frosts.They are trying to help the commie kleptocrats steal billions more from you and destroy our healthcare system.

But while the Frosts were helping a bipartisan majority in Congress sell a plan to expand the program, they were not prepared for comments such as this one, posted over the weekend on the conservative Web site Redstate:

"If federal funds were required [they] could die for all I care. Let the parents get second jobs, let their state foot the bill or let them seek help from private charities. ... I would hire a team of PIs and find out exactly how much their parents made and where they spent every nickel. Then I'd do everything possible to destroy their lives with that info."

When they kick at your front doorHow you gonna come?With your hands on your headOr on the trigger of your gun?When the law break inHow you gonna go?Shot down on the pavementOr waiting on death row?(FromThe Guns of Brixtonby The Clash)

Those who voted for a Democratic Congress last year thinking it would end the war in Iraq weren't listening. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi never promised specifics -- and now she claims Congress is powerless.

Next time, VOTE COMMUNIST. At least they are honest about their willful ignorance.

Two months after insisting that they would roll back broad eavesdropping powers won by the Bush administration, Democrats in Congress appear ready to make concessions that could extend some crucial powers given to the National Security Agency.

Administration officials say they are confident they will win approval of the broadened authority that they secured temporarily in August as Congress rushed toward recess. Some Democratic officials concede that they may not come up with enough votes to stop approval.

As the debate over the eavesdropping powers of the National Security Agency begins anew this week, the emerging measures reflect the reality confronting the Democrats.

How they hate reality!

Although willing to oppose the White House on the Iraq war, [WTF? See first story above. - F.G.] they remain nervous that they will be called soft on terrorism if they insist on strict curbs on gathering intelligence.

A Democratic bill to be proposed on Tuesday in the House would maintain for several years the type of broad, blanket authority for NSA eavesdropping that the administration secured in August for six months.

Doctors used a case of vodka to help save an Italian tourist being treated for poisoning in a Queensland hospital.

And hospital authorities later proved very understanding about the booze bill.

The 24-year-old man was brought to Mackay Base Hospital, in north Queensland, two months ago after he had ingested a large amount of the poisonous substance ethylene glycol, found in antifreeze, which can cause renal failure and is often fatal.

In details just released by the hospital, Dr Pascal Gelperowicz, who led the man's treatment with Dr Todd Fraser, said the man was unconscious on arrival and his treatment was started immediately with pharmaceutical-grade alcohol, which works as an antidote to the poison.

But the hospital's alcohol supplies were soon exhausted.

"We quickly used all the available vials of 100 per cent alcohol and decided the next best way to get alcohol into the man's system was by feeding him spirits through a naso-gastric tube," Dr Gelperowicz said.

Dr. Fraser said while the treatment was unconventional, it was very successful, with the patient having now made a full recovery.

"The patient was drip-fed about three standard drinks an hour for three days in the intensive care unit," he said.

"The hospital's administrators were also very understanding when we explained our reasons for buying a case of vodka."

Just watch as the endarkened luminaries of the fascist left grab pitchforks, torches, and ropes and head over to ol' C.W.'s condo.

San Francisco - the liberal, left-coast city conservatives love to mock - could be undergoing a transformation when it comes to homeless people. Although the city would still be a poor choice for a pep rally for the war in Iraq, indications are that residents have had it with aggressive panhandlers, street squatters and drug users.

"Maybe there has been an epiphany," says David Latterman, president of Fall Line Analytics, a local market research firm. "People have realized they can hate George Bush but still not want people crapping in their doorway."

Wow. That also happens to be Hitlery's new campaign slogan.

Consider the case of David Kiely, who has lived in the South of Market area for 18 years. He bought a home when prices were low and now lives there with his wife, Jenny, and their three boys, ages 7, 4 and 1. Kiely insists "we're not some white, yuppie parents saying we can't take this." In fact, he says, they donate to programs for homeless people at Glide Memorial Methodist Church and the food bank at St. Anthony Dining Room. But he's finally saying "enough is enough."

Glide?

"I don't expect it to be Cow Hollow or Pacific Heights," he says. "But the other day Jenny is bringing the kids back from the park, and some guy is standing on the corner throwing up on himself."

Trent Rhorer, executive director of San Francisco's Human Services Agency, is at ground zero for homelessness concerns. He's heard it from local residents at meetings, he's read the polls, and he noted the huge response to Chronicle columns about the homeless people and intravenous drug users in Golden Gate park. Like others, he thinks there's been a change in the way San Franciscans think the homelessness problem should be approached.

Yeah. Deport 'em to Oakland 'cause they're lowering property values.

"I don't think this is a conservative or liberal thing," he says. "This is quality of life for everyone. What research has shown and what we have seen from visits to cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland and New York is that you need to combine good social outreach with law enforcement."That means something more than an offer of help, which often is declined anyhow. (One city official estimated that nine out of 10 say they are not interested in a shelter or housing when approached.)

That is because the overwhelming majority of the "homeless" are mentally ill folks we threw out of mental hospitals while pretending to set them free. Aren't you proud of your country, kiddies?

"Maybe," Rhorer says, "you just need a guy with a badge standing over them and saying, you can't stay there any more."

That's tough talk for a city that's been known as a friendly place for those down on their luck. And in previous years it would have been a political non-starter. When Mayor Frank Jordan tried to push homeless people off the street with his "Matrix" program, the crackdown got much of the blame for his failure to win a second term.

But this has the feel of a new day in San Francisco.

"Homelessness, and quality of life issues, are dividing the liberals and the progressives in this city," says David Binder, a statistical analyst and founder of David Binder Research. "The liberals will say we've got to get tough on the homeless and the progressives are more old-line liberal."

How that debate will come out is anyone's guess, but it is hard to disagree with Latterman's blunt assessment, which is, "People are just pissed. For the first time, even the left is saying they've had enough."

In an informal poll by SFGate.com, 90 percent of respondents said Mayor Gavin Newsom's crackdown South of Market was a great idea.

Latterman points to the neighborhood uprising in the Haight when it was proposed that a needle exchange program be moved to the Hamilton Methodist Church. When some 200 residents showed up, mostly to protest the idea, it was shelved.

"One sample doesn't make a trend, but it is telling," says Latterman. "C'mon, they live in the upper Haight. They're liberal by definition."

But they are also, in many cases, homeowners and thus have a sense of ownership and emotional investment. That's another part of what has caused this sea change in thinking. From TIC (tenants in common) units, to condominiums, to luxury townhouses, the city has created the potential for an influx of buyers, despite the downward trend in home sales in much of the country.

Hee-hee! Property doth turn commies into nazis.

Cathy Pickering, assistant project manager for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, suggests a look to South of Market, which is within Newsom's pilot program to issue citations to vagrants on the sidewalks and streets. What once was an area of old warehouses now is booming.

"As you travel around South of Market," she says, "there is no doubt there has been a huge increase in residents."

Some of them are young couples, able to buy into their first home. And some might be empty nesters who have sold their home in the suburbs, following the national trend and moving to an urban center. But either way, they can understand the objections of a father like Kiely.

"We go out to drive the kids to school," he says, "and there's human poop between the cars."

I have never read the Chronicle's Style Book, but I am certain "poop" is not in it.

There must be many who are as fed up as Kiely, because politicians like Newsom are taking a tough stand. In an election year, you can bet he wouldn't go out on an unpopular limb. Now it will be interesting to see how the Board of Supervisors, traditionally progressive and more pro-homeless people, will react.

One proposal that could come from the Newsom administration is some form of a "sit-lie" law. Rhorer says the idea is "that you can't be in the same place on the sidewalk for longer than a certain time." (Even Berkeley has a version of that for Telegraph Avenue.) That would create howls of protests from the advocates for homeless people (and it should be said that such laws have had mixed success), but usual arguments against strong action against vagrants might not be as effective with the new mind-set of city residents.

"This isn't the war in the Iraq," says Latterman. "We've been fed that line for a long time. If you support this, you're a Bush supporter. You're a fascist. Maybe people are fed up with that."

A British judge on Wednesday ruled that Al Gore's award winning climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" should only be shown in schools with guidance notes to prevent political indoctrination.

High Court judge Michael Burton's decision follows legal action brought by a father of two last month claiming the former US vice-president's film contained "serious scientific inaccuracies, political propaganda and sentimental mush".

Hee-hee!

Stewart Dimmock wanted to block the government's pledge to send more than 3,500 secondary schools in England and Wales a DVD of the documentary to demonstrate the need to fight global warming.

Judge Burton said the Oscar-winning film should be accompanied by government guidance notes and to distribute it without them would breach education laws prohibiting the promotion of unbalanced political viewpoints.

But the victory was only partial, as Dimmock failed to get the film totally banned from schools.The lorry driver said after the case that he was "elated", but disappointed he had not secured an outright ban.

"If it was not for the case brought by myself, our young people would still be being indoctrinated with this political spin," he told reporters.

Not spin, brother. Propaganda.

Dimmock is a member of the New Party, a fringe political organisation which describes itself as "a party of economic liberalism, political reform and internationalism."

Eek! A different political party!

Its supporters include industrialists and small- and medium-sized businesses. The party accepts climate change is a major issue but says the argument that it is man-made is not unequivocal.

Instead, it argues for developing new technologies, building new nuclear power stations and providing "positive incentives" for developing countries to support cleaner technologies.

About Me

First of all, the word is SEX, not GENDER. If you are ever tempted to use the word GENDER, don't. The word is SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! For example: "My sex is male." is correct.
"My gender is male." means nothing. Look it up.
What kind of sick neo-Puritan nonsense is this? Idiot left-fascists, get your blood-soaked paws off the English language. Hence I am choosing "male" under protest.